Ante Sundaraniki

Pregnancy, Miscarriage

• Cast: Nani (Sundar), Nazriya (Leela)…
• Director, Writer: Vivek Athreya
• Music Director: Vivek Sagar

The story follows Leela, a Christian woman, and Sundaram, a Hindu man, who fall in love and struggle to convince their traditionally-leaning families to agree to their wedding.

Man loves woman, woman loves man, families object because of class, religion, etc – common story, right? Wrong. While that may be the premise, the way that the story unfolds and the way that the characters interact package this all too familiar story into a fancy gift.
This movie proves that romantic comedies don’t have to be entirely predictable and without substance. A new standard for cinema indeed.

• Direction: Vivek Athreya did an impressive job of keeping the experience smooth despite the movie following a nonlinear narrative. The team took advantage of the timeline jumping back and forth to keep the audience on their toes. There was obvious communication between the actors and the director evidenced by the tailored performances of each person on screen. There must have been a lot of work behind-the-scenes that went into the characterization of each person and defining their body language.
• Acting: It’s my unpopular opinion that the acting standards in this industry have been going lower and lower in recent years. Refreshingly, we see excellent performances by everyone on screen. Nani and Nazriya steal the show with their subtle expressions and mannerisms. The team does an excellent job of capturing complex human emotions. Worthy of note are Vinny and Harika, the child actors that play a young Sundar and Leela respectively. They bring lots of fun and entertainment with their comedic timing, giving their all even when they are in the background. With on-point performances, props to the actors for elevating the already well-written movie.
• Cinematography: No complaints here. From the pleasing color palettes to the detailed camera work, the movie was a visual delight.
• Production Design: It was fun to see the detailed sets – whether it was the details of the two homes or Leela’s studio in which they hang out together multiple times. One thing that caught my eye was their suitcases in the background – not something I would take to work let alone my partner’s workplace, but who am I to say? Anyhow, the opening credits highlight the production efforts as the contrast between the two households is shown.
• Editing: Especially with nonlinear narratives, editing can trip up the flow of the story. The editing in this movie was clean, minimal, and smooth. The music flowed in and out of the story, amplifying the feel of the scene. Note that the songs didn’t have a jarring start but blended right into the scene before and after.
• Music: While the songs weren’t particularly interest-piquing on their own, they did add to the emotion of the story. If you’re a lyrics person, you will enjoy the music as they were written to mesh cohesively with the storyline. I found the background score much more interesting, attempting to bring freshness to the genre.
• Dialogues: There was certain care with which the dialogues of the movie were written, consistent with the distinct personalities of the characters.
• Themes: Without entirely focusing on one particular theme, the movie was able to touch and introduce multiple ideas and themes relevant to the story. Religion, the patriarchy, and pregnancy come up a lot.

• I personally loved how they were able to communicate things to the audience without giving a preachy speech. It often becomes condescending when those speeches are made, yet they are the go-to method for some reason. Even while typing this out I can think of multiple monologues that irritate me. Don’t get me wrong, there is a speech in this one as well, but it is delivered by Rohini which brings a satisfying addition to her story arc. It doesn’t feel out of place, but it feels like an argument I’ve heard myself. Messages can come through, with proper care and attention, as this movie proves. Also, this speech isn’t the only part of the movie that “delivers” the message, giving space for provoking dialogues throughout the movie.
• While I’m not one to speak for what people of certain faiths can and cannot do, there was a shot in the movie that distracted me. There is a shot of Leela and Sundar asking for her parents’ blessings by touching their feet. I will be honest, it’s not a part of the actual storyline but it’s part of Sundar’s plan that he describes to Leela. This, to the best of my knowledge, is a Hindu practice and not a Christian one. While there may be Christian families that do this, this was definitely a missed opportunity to showcase Telugu Christian family culture. We do see the Christian family accepting Hindu practices as the wedding is being planned, so it would have been nice to showcase Sundar’s readiness to integrate as well, especially when it fits right into his character to do so.

YES! Everyone!

• Okay cameraperson, I see you! My favorite camerawork – the conversation between Nani and Leela’s father in the café – the camera gets shakier as the suspense builds – subtle but sweet.
• Favorite Dialogues:
  • This is one no-brainer, isn’t it? “Pregnancy anedhi choice e kaani, compulsion kaadhu kadha”
  • “Yevado edho peekadani evaro evarno pellicheskoru. Kavalante amma ni adugu.” – take your time, mull this over, not just a comedic dialogue if you ask me
• What are those suitcases doing there in her studio?!? I’m so confused.
• Callback at the end of the movie to how people appreciate social justice but do not practice it – YES! Say it again, say it louder!
• Do you know what I love to see? Realistic women.
• Okay did you all see the photos of God with the electric deepaalu in the back right of the TV room? OMG!
• Okay, people, I’m going to flex right here – I went to medical school – so, I know what I’m talking about when I say this. If your physician explains reproduction to you the way that Rahul Ramakrishna does, you should find another physician. Although his depiction was hilarious, I’ll say.
• The island shown at the end of the movie is NOT Amelia Island. Just saying.
• I couldn’t help myself and wrote an entire post about my love for this movie, you can find that here

• Movie Rating: 9.75/10
• Maguva Impact Scale: +3